Qatar Airways to Boost Flights to Milan
Middle East carrier Qatar Airways is to increase its flights into Italy by adding an additional three weekly rotations between Doha and Milan Malpensa from this May. The fast-expanding hub airline currently offers eleven flights per week, seven operated with widebodied A330 equipment (both -200 and -300 variants) and four rotations using an A320. From May 1, 2012 this latter flight will be increased to a daily schedule, according to the carrier’s GDS inventory, meaning it will offer a twice daily schedule. The Gulf airlines already have a strong presence in the Italian market. Qatar Airways already flies double daily to Rome Fiumicino and daily to Venice from Doha; Emirates Airline also serves the same three markets from Dubai; Gulf Air has links from Bahrain to Milan and Rome, while Etihad Airways and Oman Air serve Milan from Abu Dhabi and Muscat, respectively. An estimated 26,000 O&D passengers travelled between Milan Malpensa and Doha in the last year, but like most of Qatar Airways’ routes point-to-point traffic is supplement by a strong transfer demand (estimated at a lofty 84.3 per cent of the airline’s total traffic on this particular route). Italy is not the only European market that will see capacity increases from Qatar Airways during 2012 with an additional London Heathrow rotation also announced (although Manchester flights will reduce from double daily to ten a week during summer 2012) and more services anticipated to Spain. The airline is expected to add to its existing weekly flights to both Barcelona and Madrid from the start of the Northern Winter 2012/2013 schedules at the end of October with four more weekly flights to Barcelona and three more rotations a week to Madrid. Qatar Airways has already revealed plans to launch services to nine new this year – namely, Baku (Azerbaijan), Tbilisi (Georgia), Helsinki (Finland), Zagreb (Croatia), Perth (Australia), Mombasa (Kenya), Zanzibar (Tanzania), Kigali (Rwanda), and Gassim (Saudi Arabia). The cities of Baku and Tbilisi will be served on a combined daily service from February 1, 2012; Kigali will be a continuation of the airline’s new Doha – Entebbe route (launched in November 2011) and will be flown daily from March 21, 2012, while the route to Perth is due to commence on July 3, 2012 and will initially operate on a three times weekly basis. Qatar Airways has already revealed plans to increase the Doha – Perth route to a daily schedule although this has now been deferred from October 29, 2012 until December 1, 2012.
Flydubai Adds Bishkek to its Network
United Arab Emirates (UAE) low-cost carrier flydubai is to further expand its network into the Commonwealth of Indpendent States (CIS) with a new service to Bishkek, the capital of the former Soviet Republic of Kyrgyzstan. The new twice weekly rotation will be introduced from February 7, 2012 and will be the airline’s 50th destination on its route network covering 28 countries across the GCC, Middle East, Africa, Indian Sub-Continent, Asia and Central and Eastern Europe. “We are proud to launch our latest services, bringing our destinations in the former Soviet Union to 12,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer, flydubai. “We have already launched operations to a number of cities in Central Asia and we believe Bishkek will be just as well received.” The airline believes the destination will prove popular with people seeking access to alternative travel markets, as well as offering people in the Kyrgyz Republic a gateway to the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent and Africa through the Flydubai network. This is the first foray into the Central Asian country for a UAE operator. The Kyrgyz Republic has a growing presence in the UAE thanks to a 3,000-strong expatriate population while the country has recently opened its economy to foreign investment in key industries including metallurgy and is developing its tourism potential. Beauty spots such as Issyk Kul Lake are growing into popular tourist destinations while trekking and camping trails as well as skiing bases are developing all over the country, drawing in travellers locally, regionally and internationally.
Irish Eyes Smile on Emirates’ Inaugural Arrival
Emirates Airline inaugurated flights from its Dubai International Airport base to Dublin in the Republic of Ireland on January 9, 2012, its 119 global destination. The route launch follows just a week after the carrier began flights to Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, expanding its footprint in South America. The new Dubai – Dublin route is being flown with a three-class Airbus A330-200 and its launch comes around ten years after Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) first approached the Gulf carrier to start flying to the Irish capital. “We first began talking to Emirates about the possibility of operating this service about 10 years ago,” Declan Collier, said Chief Executive Officer, Dublin Airport Authority (DAA). “During the past decade we’ve kept in touch, informing them of developments in the Irish market and the new facilities that we have put in place to improve the passenger experience at Dublin Airport. This new service is the fruit of that long relationship and the hard work of many people both here in Dublin and in Dubai.” Declan Collier also described the new route as a major vote of confidence in the Irish economy. “I’m sure that this new daily service is merely the beginning of what promises to be a long and very successful partnership between Dublin Airport and Emirates. Additional direct services and enhanced connectivity is the lifeblood of tourism and business and this new service will be hugely beneficial for the Irish economy,” he added. The route will bring new opportunities for travel into the Middle East and wider global network of Emirates Airline from its Dubai International Airport hub. Meanwhile, the Republic is a popular international tourist destination and last year received 6.7 million visitors, drawn by the rich ancient history, spectacular countryside, traditional Irish music, thousands of miles of scenic coastline and renowned fresh air. According to the airline the route has already secured “solid early bookings” and although plans to switch the operating aircraft to a larger Airbus A340-300 have been delayed from October 2012 to February 2013, there is every chance the route could be further upgraded to a Boeing 777-300ER by the end of next year. Ireland has a population of around 4.5 million, while around 5,000 Irish nationals live in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) so a relatively strong Point-to-point demand is anticipated on the route. However, around 80,000 more live in Australia, which Emirates identifies as a “key market” for the new service: more than 70 passengers on the 237-seat inaugural flight came from bookings in Australia, according to the carrier. Dublin is already linked to the UAE by Etihad Airways which offers ten flights per week to Abu Dhabi, while Aer Lingus has also served the Dublin – Dubai route in the past. An estimated 54,000 O&D passengers travelled between Ireland and UAE in the past year with around 18,000 travelling on the direct Etihad service. Emirates already holds a 9.9 per cent share of this traffic with around 5,000 O&D passengers flying to Dubai via its UK destinations. But, as mentioned previously, this route is more than just about O&D passengers. Alongside its 18,000 point-to-point passengers, Etihad carried an estimated 160,000 passengers to other destinations in its global network – the main markets being Sydney, Australia; Kochi, India; and Bangkok, Thailand.
Air Arabia Adds More Moscow Flights
Middle East low-cost carrier Air Arabia has boosted frequencies on its recently launched link between its Sharjah International Airport base and Moscow Domodedovo Airport in the Russian capital. The airline launched services on the route on October 14, 2011, initially on a three times weekly basis but has now added two additional weekly rotations, now offering flights every day except Mondays and Thursdays. "We are extremely pleased to announce the expansion of service between Sharjah and Moscow, which will further enhance travel options for the residents of both cities," said AK Nizar, Head of Commercial Department, Air Arabia. "Since the introduction of services to Moscow, Air Arabia has seen great demand on this route. We are confident that the increase in frequency of services to the Russian capital will further enhance travel and tourism ties between the two nations by offering customers choice and great value and service." Moscow, with a population in excess of 10.5 million, is the most populous city in Russia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is home to an increasingly significant Russian expatriate community, and is also one of the preferred holiday destinations for residents of the country. In the past year an estimated 451,000 O&D passengers travelled between Russia and the UAE, up 14.9 per cent on the previous 12 months and a figure that is actually considerably higher when you also factor in the many charter flights between the two countries. Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways also provide full-service options from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Moscow.
Bahrain Air to Offer Links to Kuwait from Bahrain and Beirut
Bahrain Air has confirmed its plans to relaunch flights to Kuwait with a four times weekly service due to commence from January 26, 2012. The airline, dubbed the second national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, will serve Kuwait as a stop on flights between Bahrain and Beirut, with rights to carry traffic between Kuwait and the Lebanese capital. “We are delighted to be returning to Kuwait. Kuwait is an important destination in its own right and at the same time will also support our network beyond Bahrain with convenient connections especially to the Indian subcontinent and Khartoum,” said Richard Nuttall, Chief Executive Officer, Bahrain Air. “Further we will be adding non-stop flights between Kuwait and Beirut strengthening our presence and product in both markets.” Both routes are already served by multiple carriers. The Bahrain – Kuwait sector is dominated by the Kingdom’s flag carrier Gulf Air which offers more than 30 weekly flights, some using widebodied equipment. Jazeera Airways and Kuwait Airways also provide ten and four weekly rotations, respectively, while KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and United Airlines fly the sector as extensions of their flights from Amsterdam and Washington Dulles. Meanwhile, the Kuwait – Beirut sector is served by three airlines: Middle East Airlines has 13 weekly flights, Jazeera Airways eleven and Kuwait Airways five.
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